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Examples are presented in the SORRAT experiments of: (1) presumed paranormally linked human aortic rings and their teleportation into a sealed, glass globe; (2) videographed experiments with Joe Nuzum, paragnost, while in a trancelike state, accomplishing linkage of a class ring on his finger to one key of several held in a researcher's hand; and (3) in a different experiment linking two rubber bands of several which were held in a researcher's hand. X-ray and MRI studies tend to confirm the genuineness of these mind-over-matter psychosomatic effects. Further linkage experiments are described including videographed linking and delinking of rubber bands, and a videographed linking and delinking of a gold seamless ring and brass nut. It is speculated that these experiments illustrate some degree of conscious, volititional control and might have analogous and overlooked aspects and possibilities in human biology and nature, and that these are overripe areas for intensive parapsychiatric investigation.

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During the 21-month period between August 1, 1991, and April 30, 1993, 2,358 women received Norplant system insertions in either Parkland Memorial Hospital or the Dallas Maternal Health and Family Planning clinics. Forty-three percent of these women were teenagers with 14% 16 years of age or less. Overall, 431 patients received Norplant implants insertions postpartum prior to discharge from the hospital. To date, 138 Norplant systems have been removed, with the proportion of contraceptive implant removals among teenagers being essentially the same as that in more mature women. Of the reasons given by women discontinuing the Norplant system, an unanticipated high incidence of pain in the arm containing the implants, hair loss, and mood changes were noted. We have found the Norplant system to be a highly effective and highly acceptable contraceptive method for a large number of indigent women.

PIP: Between August 1991 and April 1993, in Texas, family planning specialists analyzed prospective data on 2358 women who underwent Norplant system insertions at either the Division of Maternal Health and Family Planning clinics of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center or at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The household income of about 90% of the women was at or below the poverty level. Health workers counseled each woman expressing interest in Norplant individually so the women understood the risks, benefits, and side effects. The women had access to health workers via telephone, clinic appointment, or clinic walk-in visits when they had questions and concerns. At the time of insertion, 43% of the women were no older than 19 years of age. 14% were 16-years-old or younger. 63% of the 431 women who received Norplant immediately after delivery were no more than 19-years-old. 74% of all the women had at least one concern about Norplant. The leading concern was pain at the time of insertion (32.1%) followed by weight changes (14.8%), and menstrual changes (12.2%). As of August 1993, only 138 (5.85%) of the women requested removal (adolescents = 40%). The reasons for removal included irregular bleeding (41.3%), headache (22.5%), pain in the arm with Norplant (18.1%), weight gain (14.5%), hair loss (10.1%), mood changes (8%), and desire for pregnancy (8%). The researchers had not anticipated the high incidence rates of arm pain, hair loss, and mood changes. These findings suggested that Norplant is an acceptable longterm contraceptive method. Other studies showed that it is also very effective.

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The World Health Organization recommends the use of fixed reference periods for quantification of the incidence and severity of vaginal bleeding when patients use various forms of contraception. Ninety- and 110-day reference periods were used in the analysis of data from daily menstrual diaries kept by 72 healthy women in a one-year study of oral contraceptive agents containing ethinyl estradiol and either norethindrone or levonorgestrel. Analysis of bleeding patterns reported during both 90-day and 110-day periods revealed fewer days of bleeding and/or spotting overall with norethindrone than with levonorgestrel (e.g., a mean of 16.06 vs. 19.55 days, respectively, over the first 90-day period; P = .013) and significantly shorter bleeding and/or spotting episodes with the norethindrone preparation. This trend persisted when data were adjusted for a day-1 pill start. Using either method of analysis, duration of bleeding episodes was shorter among subjects taking norethindrone than levonorgestrel. Pills were missed in both study groups, but more women in the LNG/EE group missed from 1 to 3 pills in at least one cycle (31 vs. 21 in the NET/EE group). The between-group difference in bleeding events may be due to intrinsic hormonal differences in regimens or to the greater number of pills missed among levonorgestrel users.

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The effects of age on basal, meal-stimulated, and human gastrin-17-stimulated gastric acid secretion rates and serum pepsinogen concentrations were evaluated in 41 healthy men and women. Older subjects (ages 44-71 years; mean, 57 years) had higher mean basal, meal-stimulated, and gastrin-17-stimulated acid secretory rates and basal serum pepsinogen I and II concentrations than younger subjects (ages 23-42 years; mean, 33 years). Age-related differences in acid secretion were especially prominent in men, and age-related differences in serum pepsinogen I and II concentrations were more prominent in women. Higher gastric acid secretion rates in older subjects could not be explained by body size (height, weight, body surface area, or fat-free body mass) or by the higher incidence of infection with Helicobacter pylori. Using a multivariate linear regression model, age had an independent positive effect on acid secretion, and H. pylori infection had an independent negative effect. It was concluded that aging is associated with an increase in gastric acid secretion in humans, especially in men, while infection with H. pylori is associated with lower acid secretion rates.

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The activation of placental AC by either Mg2+ or Mn2+, in the presence and absence of NaF, followed sigmoidal saturation kinetics. Mn2+ enhanced maximally the NaF-stimulated Mg2+-dependent AC activity. The apparent Km of Mg2+-dependent AC for ATP was 0.4 mM, with and without NaF addition. GTP and GMP-P(NH)P stimulated the Mg2+-dependent AC in a dose-dependent manner with half-maximal stimulation taking place at concentrations of approximately 2 microM. In the presence of GMP-P(NH)P (10 microM) the kinetics of the AC dependence on Mg2+ ion concentration changed from sigmoidal to hyperbolic. Most of the AC activity (greater than 83 per cent) was associated with the particulate fractions of placental homogenate. For better reproducibility, the AC assay was performed using sonicated particulate fraction preparations; sonication did not alter the response of AC to stimuli to a variety of agents used in these experiments; freezing and thawing, however, obliterated the stimulation by beta-adrenergic agonists. Placental AC activity was inhibited by p-hydroxymercuriphenyl sodium sulphonate in a dose-dependent fashion, and the inhibition was reversed by dithiothreitol. Mg2+-dependent AC was inhibited by 0.5 mM phenylhydrazine (95 per cent). Mg2+-dependent AC activity was responsive to stimulation by epinephrine, without and with GTP addition, with half-maximal stimulation taking place at a concentration of 2 microM. The stimulatory effect of epinephrine was blocked by propranolol in a dose-dependent manner but was not blocked by phentolamine. Oestrone, oestradiol-17 beta, 2-hydroxyoestreone, 2-hydroxyoestradiol-17 beta, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, and progesterone, as well as oxytocin, did not alter either the basal or GMP-P(NH)P-stimulated Mg2+-dependent AC activities. Preincubation of 20 000 g particulate fraction with either NaF or GMP-P(NH)P, followed by washing, resulted in preparations that remained stimulated without the requirement of any further additions.

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An optimal assay system for the measurement of GC activity in subcellular fractions of human placenta homogenates was developed. MN2+ was more effective than Mg2+ as a cofactor and, in addition, it markedly potentiated the Mg2+-dependent GC activity. The apparent optimal temperature for GC activity was 45 degrees C and the pH optimum was in the range of 7.5 to 8.3. The apparent Km of Mn2+-dependent GC for GTP was 0.1 and that of MG2+-dependent GC for GTP was 0.4 mm. More than 95 per cent of GC activity was associated with the 100 000 X g supernatant fraction. ATP at a concentration of 0.5 mm inhibited GC activity by 50 per cent. The Mn2+-dependent GC activity was inhibited by p-hydroxymercuriphenyl sulphonate at concentrations between 10 and 50 micrometers; this inhibition was reversed, in part, by dithiothreitol at concentrations of 150 to 500 micrometers to approximately one-fifth the activity of control values. In addition, we found that dithiothreitol was an inhibitor of GC activity. Studies on the responsiveness of placental GC to nucleophilic compounds indicated that phenylhydrazine was the most potent stimulus, while hydroxylamine, hydrazine, sodium azide, sodium nitrite and sodium nitroprusside were less potent. Placental GC was unaffected by alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists or by cholinergic agonist, as well as by steroids produced by the placenta.

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PIP: Estrogen has been used to induce a wide variety of tumors in various animal species but only the rabbit is reported to reliably develop endometrial carcinoma. Variables associated in humans with an increase susceptibility to endometrial adenocarcinoma include aging, obesity, liver diseases, polycystic ovary disease, and ovarian tumors. In women estrogen induces mitotic activity in the endometrium and promotes the proliferation of the endometrium. Current concern that estrogen replacement therapy in postmenopausal women may be associated with increased risk of endometrial adenocarcinoma is based on: 1) reports of increased incidence of the disease, and 2) epidemiologic studies associating estrogen administration with an increased risk of endometrial carcinoma. The author draws the following conclusions based on the existing data: 1) there is likely a small but significant increase in the risk of development of endometrial adenocarcinoma among menopausal women on estrogen replacement therapy; 2) the increase in risk appears to be greatest for women who do not have any of the constitutional stigmas that would ordinarily place them at higher risk for adenocarcinoma; 3) risk increases with increasing duration of therapy, probably following a latent period of undetermined duration; 4) risk increases with increasing dose of estrogen; 5) progestin administration likely affords some protection against the risk, but the potential risks of administering the hormonal equivalent of a combination oral contraceptive periodically to elderly women have yet to be examined carefully; and 6) careful surveillance of patient populations on estrogen replacement therapy may limit the risk of adenocarcinoma associated with estrogens to early, highly curable lesions. It is incorrect to assume that estrogen actually causes carcinoma of the endometrium; it more likely induces a precancerous hyperplastic state in a dose-related fashion and only certain individuals ultimately develop invasive carcinoma.^ieng

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From a group of 313 women referred for pelvic sonography because of clinical suspicion of molar gestation and 5 additional sonographically diagnosed but clinically nonsuspect cases of hydatidiform mole, 50 were ultimately proved to have a hydatidiform mole. There were 2 false-positive and 2 false-negative sonographic interpretations. In the 50 patients having a proved molar gestation, predelivery uterine volume was sonographically calculated, and the presence and size of theca lutein cysts was recorded. Correlation of gestational age estimated from sonographically measured intrauterine volume to clinical estimation of uterine size revealed a tendency to overestimate gestational size by a mean of 3.5 weeks. Theca lutein cysts were detected in 10% of patients by clinical examination, whereas they were detected by sonography in 37% of cases. Seven of 50 molar pregnancies were associated with post-molar trophoblastic disease. Patients with a volumetrically large-for-dates uterus or with theca lutein cysts did not have a higher incidence of postevacuation invasive mole or choriocarcinoma. Sonography remains an excellent diagnostic technique, but cannot predict the postevacuation clinical course.

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In the present investigation, we sought to ascertain whether an alteration in the physiology of amnionic lysosomes could be demonstrated in association with normal human labor at term. We reasoned that perturbation of the lysosomes of amnion would be associated with a greater rate of release of known lysosomal marker enzyme activity from this tissue. In order to investigate this possibility, we employed discs of amnion tissue which were incubated in medium containing sucrose (0.25M). We observed that the rate of release of lysosomal marker enzyme activity, N-acetyl glucosaminidase, into the incubation medium from amnion tissue obtained from laboring women was greater than the rate of release of the same enzyme activity from amnion tissue obtained from women who were not in labor. During incubation, there was no detectable release of lactate dehydrogenase, a cytosolic marker enzyme, which attests to the viability of the amnion tissue during the experiment. These findings are consistent with the view that there is an alteration in the physiology of lysosomes of the amnion associated with human labor at term, a finding which is supportive of a role for lysosomes of the human fetal membranes in the initiation of human parturition.

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The concentration of 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione in peripheral blood of pregnant women is higher than that found in blood obtained from nonpregnant women throughout the luteal phase of the ovulatory cycle. The in vitro synthesis of 5 alpha-reduced pregnanes from [3H]progesterone by placental tissue was investigated using tissue minces and homogenates in the presence of added nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate. The metabolites, [3H]5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione and [3H]3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one, were isolated and characterized employing a combination of chromatographic techniques, derivative formation, and crystallization with authentic [14C]5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione and [14C]3 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one to constant 3H:14C ratios. In short-term incubations with placenta homogenates, the apparent pH optimum for the synthesis of 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione was 8.8. There was no evidence for the formation of 5 beta-reduced pregnanes from [3H]progesterone by placental tissue. The in vitro metabolism of [3H]progesterone by minces of five term placentas, during 1 hour incubations at pH 7.4, was studied. The rate of formation of 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione varied from 109 to 197 pmoles/gm placental tissue/hr.

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